It seems particularly fitting to have an offering from Slim Randles this Christmas Eve. Here’s hoping that those of you who celebrate Christmas have the best one possible. For those who celebrate other winter holidays and holy days, my best wishes to you and yours, as well.
Windy had sent off for a doo-dad for his small kitchen, and that’s why he checked the mailbox. If you’re Alphonse “Windy” Wilson, and you’re long-in-the-tooth and single, you find yourself not checking the mailbox very often unless there’s a reason. It saves the disappointment of finding it empty, you see.
But there was something in there today.
He opened it up. It was a Christmas card from Mrs. Morris. In it, she had written “Thank you so much for fixing my shed.”
Wow! As Windy would say, it was a “transfigurational enlightening.” Of course, he only used his fancy English when there was an audience of one or more. But it led him to thinking he might have to check the ol’ mailbox more often.
He had straightened up Mrs. Morris’ shed that was perilously close to becoming kindling in her back yard. That Mrs. Morris had wanted it to become kindling so she could use the space for other reasons didn’t really figure in. It all happened on one of Windy’s helping days. One day each week, he looked around for someone who needed help and helped them, whether they wanted him to or not.
The next day there were two more Christmas cards. One from Mrs. Lopez, whose arthritis prevented her from weeding her flower patch, and one from someone who didn’t sign it, but just wrote “Thank you so much” inside.
Windy was rendered speechless, which is the equivalent, here in Home Country, of the Pacific Ocean tides deciding to take the day off.
But the capper came on Christmas Eve. Windy returned from eating at the Mule Barn and explaining to the guys all about “experiential trans-wisdom” and its effects on education these days. And there, on his front porch, was a cardboard box with holes punched in it. It was vibrating a big, too, and making whining sounds.
On opening it, Windy found a brown puppy with an overabundance of enthusiasm and an active tongue and smile. There was no note. He hugged the pup and took him in the house. It was going to be a great Christmas.
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Brought to you with warmest Christmas season wishes by Slim and Catherine Randles.
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